Warhammer 40,000

Warhammer 40,000 is a science-fiction tabletop miniature wargame created and published by the British games company Games Workshop. Usually abbreviated to Warhammer 40K or simply 40K, it combines miniature collecting, model assembly, painting, army construction, tactical play, and an extensive fictional setting. Players select a faction, collect and customize its miniatures, use published rules to build an army, and play battles on a tabletop containing terrain and objectives. The setting is a dystopian far-future universe in which humanity's Imperium is locked in almost perpetual war with alien civilizations, daemonic powers, and internal rebellion. Its central tone is deliberately bleak and exaggerated: technological progress is stagnant, religious authority is powerful, large-scale institutions are oppressive, and survival is achieved through almost unending conflict. Major factions include the Imperium of Man, Space Marines, Chaos forces, Aeldari, Orks, Tyranids, Necrons, T'au, and numerous other human and non-human armies. The setting's visual identity combines gothic architecture, military science fiction, religious imagery, body horror, and heavily ornamented miniatures. The game originated in 1987 with Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, written principally by Rick Priestley. The first edition was comparatively open-ended and presented the game as a role-playing-influenced skirmish system with a strong emphasis on narrative scenarios, individual characters, and referee discretion. Later editions progressively established a more standardized competitive and army-based rules structure while retaining narrative play as a major part of the brand. The setting and product line expanded through successive editions, codexes, campaign books, specialist games, novels, video games, licensed merchandise, and organized community events. Games Workshop's business model is centered on the design, manufacture, retail, and licensing of tabletop miniatures and related products. For Warhammer 40,000, the core commercial lines include plastic model kits, rulebooks, faction codexes, paints and hobby supplies, starter sets, terrain, accessories, and licensed media. The company sells through its own stores and web operations, independent retailers, and regional distribution channels. Warhammer Community and other official channels support rules updates, previews, painting content, fiction, and community engagement. The brand's most recognizable product family is the Space Marines, genetically enhanced warriors serving the Imperium. They are supported by numerous specialized chapters and boxed sets and have long served as the entry point for many new players. Other major product families include Astra Militarum armies representing the ordinary military forces of the Imperium, Chaos Space Marines and daemonic armies, alien factions such as Orks and Tyranids, and technologically distinctive groups such as the Necrons and T'au Empire. Warhammer 40,000 is both a game and a transmedia intellectual property. Its fiction has been developed through Games Workshop's Black Library publishing division, while licensed studios have produced many video games and other adaptations. Amazon MGM Studios announced a development arrangement concerning Warhammer 40,000 screen productions, with Henry Cavill attached to the project, although the existence of development activity does not by itself establish a released film or series. The brand remains active and internationally distributed, with its continuing growth tied to new miniatures, rules editions, narrative campaigns, hobby content, and licensed entertainment.

Warhammer 40,000 was developed by Games Workshop in the 1980s as a science-fiction counterpart to the company's fantasy tabletop game Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The first edition appeared in 1987 as Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader and was principally designed by Rick Priestley. Rather than functioning only as a regimented army game, Rogue Trader combined miniature combat with role-playing ideas, character-driven scenarios, random events, and a comparatively flexible approach to adjudication. Its setting established many of the motifs that would define the brand: a decaying human Imperium, heavily armed Space Marines, ancient alien civilizations, Chaos, and a future in which conflict is effectively permanent. The early game developed through supplements, additional rules, and an expanding body of background material. Games Workshop and its associated publications gradually gave the factions more distinctive identities and created a setting broad enough to support both large battles and narrative campaigns. The release of later editions moved the product toward a more standardized army-wargame format. The second edition, released in the early 1990s, helped formalize the presentation of the game and brought greater focus to army rules, psychic powers, wargear, and faction-specific play. It also contributed to the strong visual and commercial identity of Space Marines, whose miniatures and fiction became a central gateway into the setting. The third edition, released at the end of the 1990s, simplified and reorganized many rules and became an important foundation for the modern form of the game. Subsequent editions continued to revise army construction, mission design, movement and combat mechanics, and the relationship between core rules and faction books. Games Workshop periodically replaced older codexes and model ranges, making edition changes significant commercial and hobby events. These cycles encouraged players to update armies while also sustaining older collections through revised rules and narrative material. During the 2000s and 2010s, the brand expanded well beyond the tabletop rulebook. Black Library published novels and anthologies that developed the setting through stories about Space Marines, the Imperial military, Chaos, alien factions, and ordinary people living under Imperial rule. Licensed video games introduced the property to audiences who did not necessarily play miniatures, while Games Workshop's own retail and community activities supported painting, modeling, and organized play. The setting also became increasingly defined by large narrative developments, including major conflicts and changes to the status quo of the Imperium. The eighth edition, released in 2017, followed a major setting transition associated with the return of the primarch Roboute Guilliman, the opening of the Great Rift, and the division of the galaxy. These developments gave the universe a more visibly advancing narrative while preserving its characteristic themes of institutional decay and endless war. The ninth edition followed in 2020 and placed considerable emphasis on mission systems, faction supplements, and a continuing sequence of narrative campaigns. The tenth edition launched in 2023. It revised the core rules, streamlined several systems, and introduced updated faction materials intended to provide a new entry point. As with previous editions, it was accompanied by new and redesigned miniatures, starter products, campaign content, and continuing model releases. The brand's commercial ecosystem now spans core games, specialist formats, paint and hobby products, fiction, video games, animation and screen-development projects, and a large network of Games Workshop stores and independent retailers. Warhammer 40,000 remains an active Games Workshop property. Its identity is maintained through the interaction of three activities: playing battles, collecting and painting miniatures, and consuming or contributing to an evolving fictional universe. This combination has allowed it to operate simultaneously as a tabletop game, a premium hobby product line, and a major science-fiction entertainment property.

• 2023

  Tenth edition launched

  The tenth edition refreshed the core rules and provided updated faction materials and miniatures.

• 2022

  Amazon screen-development agreement announced

  Games Workshop announced an agreement with Amazon concerning potential Warhammer 40,000 film and television productions.

• 2020

  Ninth edition introduced

  The ninth edition revised the core game and expanded mission, faction, and campaign content.

• 2017

  Eighth edition and major setting transition

  The eighth edition followed major narrative changes involving the Great Rift and the return of Roboute Guilliman.

• 1998

  Third edition introduced

  The third edition simplified and reorganized the game and helped establish the modern army-based format.

• 1993

  Second edition introduced

  The second edition developed a more structured presentation of factions, army rules, equipment, and battlefield systems.

• 1987

  First edition released as Rogue Trader

  Games Workshop published Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, establishing the game's science-fiction setting and initial rules.

A premium hobby and tabletop gaming brand built around collectible miniatures, a deep dystopian science-fiction setting, recurring rules and model releases, and an integrated ecosystem of retail, fiction, painting, gaming, and licensed entertainment.

• Tabletop miniature wargame · 1987

  Warhammer 40,000 core game

  The central tabletop game in which players assemble armies, deploy miniatures on terrain, and resolve battles using movement, shooting, combat, objectives, and faction rules. It supports both narrative and organized play.

• Miniature army range · 1987

  Space Marines

  Genetically enhanced warriors serving the Imperium of Man and one of the brand's most prominent miniature and fiction lines. The range includes standard Space Marines, specialized units, vehicles, characters, and numerous chapters with distinct heraldry and background.

• Miniature army range · 1987

  Astra Militarum

  The ordinary armed forces of the Imperium, represented by mass infantry, armored vehicles, artillery, officers, and specialist formations. The range provides a human-scale military contrast to the genetically engineered and alien armies in the setting.

• Miniature army range · 1987

  Chaos Space Marines

  Traitor Space Marines aligned with the Chaos Gods or with the broader forces of Chaos. Their models typically combine corrupted power armor, daemonic imagery, mutated forms, and ancient wargear, and they occupy a central antagonistic role in the setting.

• Miniature army range · 1987

  Tyranids

  A highly alien swarm faction composed of bioengineered organisms directed by a collective intelligence. Its miniatures emphasize organic forms, rapidly evolving creatures, large monsters, and overwhelming numbers.

• Fiction publishing

  Black Library fiction

  Games Workshop's fiction publishing program expands the Warhammer 40,000 setting through novels, short stories, anthologies, and series focused on its factions, military units, institutions, and major conflicts.

• 2023

  Tenth-edition rules resetGeneration change

  Background

  Games Workshop periodically refreshes the core rules and faction materials to support new players, update gameplay, and coordinate new miniature releases.

  Action taken

  The company launched the tenth edition with revised core rules, updated faction rules, starter products, and accompanying model releases.

  Aftermath

  The edition created a new starting point for the game while continuing the established cycle of rules updates, codex releases, and miniature development.

• 1987

  Launch of Rogue TraderProduct launch

  Background

  Games Workshop sought to extend its tabletop miniature business into science fiction while building on experience with fantasy wargaming.

  Action taken

  The company released Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader as a science-fiction miniature game with role-playing and narrative elements.

  Aftermath

  The release established the Warhammer 40,000 setting and became the foundation for a long-running miniature, publishing, and licensing property.

• 2023

  The tenth edition of Warhammer 40,000 launched

  Product launch

  Games Workshop released the tenth edition of the core game, revising the rules and introducing updated army materials and miniatures.

• 2023

  Tenth edition launched with Leviathan starter set[1]第十版随利维坦新手套装推出warhammer-community.com

  Product generation · Product launch

  Games Workshop introduced the tenth edition with revised core rules, updated faction systems and the Leviathan launch box featuring Space Marines and Tyranids.

• 2022

  Amazon and Games Workshop announced development of Warhammer 40,000 screen productions

  M&A · Other

  Games Workshop announced an agreement with Amazon relating to the development of film and television productions based on Warhammer 40,000. Henry Cavill was publicly associated with the project.

• 2022

  Amazon Studios and Games Workshop announced a Warhammer 40,000 screen-universe agreement[2]亚马逊影业与Games Workshop宣布《战锤40,000》影视宇宙协议games-workshop.com

  M&A · Other

  Games Workshop announced an agreement with Amazon Studios concerning development of film and television projects based on Warhammer 40,000, subject to the parties' creative-development process.

• 2020

  Ninth edition launched with a new narrative setting[3]第九版以新的叙事背景推出en.wikipedia.org

  Product generation · Product launch

  The ninth edition updated the rules and continued the setting's post-Great Rift storyline, with new starter products and revised faction support.

• 2017

  Games Workshop released the eighth edition[3]第九版以新的叙事背景推出en.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The eighth edition substantially rewrote the rules and introduced a new framework for faction indexes, codexes and matched play.

• 1998

  Third edition shifted the game toward larger plastic armies[3]第九版以新的叙事背景推出en.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The third edition simplified and reorganized the rules while coinciding with a major expansion of plastic miniature production and the modern army-collection model.

• 1993

  Second edition expanded the game's rules and visual identity[3]第九版以新的叙事背景推出en.wikipedia.org

  Product generation

  The second edition refined the core game and helped establish the recognizable presentation and faction structure associated with modern Warhammer 40,000.

• 1987

  Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader introduced the science-fiction game

  Product launch

  Games Workshop released the first edition of Warhammer 40,000 under the title Rogue Trader, establishing the core setting and rules framework.

• 1987

  Warhammer 40,000 introduced as a science-fiction counterpart to Warhammer Fantasy Battle[3]第九版以新的叙事背景推出en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Games Workshop launched the first edition of the science-fiction tabletop game, establishing the setting, factions and miniature-based rules framework that became the foundation of the brand.

1. 1第十版随利维坦新手套装推出warhammer-community.com
2. 2亚马逊影业与Games Workshop宣布《战锤40,000》影视宇宙协议games-workshop.com
3. 3第九版以新的叙事背景推出en.wikipedia.org
4. 4New Warhammer 40K app supplements the need for pricey bookspolygon.com
5. 5Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Launches On Xbox, PlayStation And PC | TheXboxHubthexboxhub.com